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(born 1950). American basketball great Julius Erving, better known as Dr. J, once said of his amazing airborne moves: “It’s easy once you learn how to fly.” His flights quickly made him one of basketball’s all-time top scorers.

Julius Winfield Erving was born in Hempstead, New York, on February 22, 1950. He started playing basketball in local parks and with a nearby Salvation Army team. In his first year at the University of Massachusetts, he broke records for scoring and rebounding. He left the university in 1971 after his junior year to sign a contract as a forward with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA).

Erving, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall, changed the idea of the way the game should be played. His great skill and remarkably large hands worked together to make his ball handling an awesome art. His airborne feats popularized the slam dunk, the hanging rebound, and the finger roll. His ability to block shots and rebound, as well as pass and handle the ball skillfully, encouraged faster and flashier playing.

In 1973 Erving moved to the New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) and, with an average of 27.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, led them to the ABA title. Sports enthusiasts believe that when the NBA (National Basketball Association) absorbed the ABA in 1976, it was primarily to get Erving, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers. His first years in Philadelphia were frustrating because the 76er style of play and tendinitis in his knees limited him. But by the 1979–80 season conditions had changed, and Erving was averaging 26.9 points a game.

Erving’s honors included ABA Most Valuable Player in 1974, 1975, and 1976, NBA Most Valuable Player in 1981, and numerous elections to ABA and NBA all-star teams. He was praised for his team spirit, his work for charities, and his success in business. Before his retirement after the 1986–87 season, Erving became only the third player to score 30,000 points in a professional career.

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